sarp comp vol.1

I put together a little comp of somewhat random stuff that I've enjoyed immensely. Here's the match listing with some comments:
 

sarp comp vol.1 (LP)

1.   jip: Barry Windham v. Ric Flair-NWA World Title 1/20/87

 .....Two of the best in-ring performers at the top of their game. These two had crazy chemistry that resulted in several top-notch matches. This has always been my favorite of their bouts and a personal all-time favorite of mine.

2.   Takashi Sugiura & Mitsuharu Misawa v. Hirooki Goto & Shinsuke Nakamura; NJPW 1/4/09

.....Unfortunately, the single most memorable wrestling related story of 2009 was the dramatic death of someone who is unquestionably on the short list for all-time great in ring performers. And if you wanted to use Meltzer's list of 5-star matches you would have to consider Mitsuharu Misawa the best wrestler of the past 30 years as he was in more 5-star matches than anyone. In the past few years Misawa was increasingly in poor shape and his notweorthy performances were becoming fewer and further between. Here, on the grandest stage in the sport not under the WWE WrestleMania banner, at New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual January 4th Tokyo Dome Show, we got to see Misawa in one of his final classic matches. Luckily, he's in there with three of the top guys going today and they were capable of carrying the load so that the legend could pick his shots. Nakamura is on the short-list for best wrestlers in the world today, and 2009 was the year he really came into his own and went from being great wrestler with promise, to being in the debate for best wrestler in the world. Meanwhile, one of my favorite wrestlers today, Takashi Sugiura starts the push for what was a breakout year for him. By the end of the year he would hold Pro Wrestling NOAH's GHC Title and I have to think that his rise to the top of his home promotion was directly tied to his really standing out in any of these New Japan vs. NOAH matches. This match stole the show at Wrestle Kingdom III and the exchanges between Sugiura and Nakamura, combined with the dramatic stage on which they were performing get me out of my seat every time I watch them. It's not the best match from 2009, and it's not my favorite, but I've watched it more than any other in 2009.

3.   Chaparita Asari v. Aja Kong; WWF 12/11/95

.....Stumbled across this little gem that i have no recollection of having watched when it happened. This is Aja Kong at her 92-93 Vader best as she just punishes Asari. This match is a perfect example, and I believe even the exact reason, why Vince McMahon put the kibosh on the Women's division around this time. Vince was likely very uncomfortable with 2 women going out there and not only outworking the men in his company, but working far more stiff. This match is short and sick.

4.   Negro Casas v. Mistico-2/3 Falls for CMLL Welterweight Title 3/20/09

.....The match that made me fall in love with Lucha. All these years of being a wrestling fan and I never held Lucha in the same regard that I do wrestling from either the states or from Japan. I've enjoyed a lot of Lucha over the years, but I just didn't love it on the same level. This match changed all of that. Negro Casas instantly became one of my favorite wrestlers here and I have since gone back and watched some of his many classics.If you enjoyed the great Rey Mysterio-Chris Jericho matches from WWE in the Spring-Summer of 2009, then you'll love this as it's the same but better as Rey & Jericho just copied this feud. As impressive as Mistico is, Mysterio is definitely the superior wrestler. However, as great as Jericho is, I'll take Negro Casas over him any day. That's no knock on Jericho, just king kong praise for Casas. His character just has so many more layers to it. Beautiful match here with the beloved old heel who can work a match better than pretty much anyone versus the exciting young high-flying babyface.

5.   Takashi Sugiura v. Hiroshi Tanahashi-IWGP Heavyweight Title 7/20/09 

.....To me, this is the match that exemplifies 2009. It's not the best match from 2009 (although I do think it's criminally underrated), but it's the match that best illustrates 2009 for me. Hiroshi Tanahashi was on a roll as the guy on top of New Japan. He would have walked away with just about any serious Wrestler of the Year award had his campaign not been derailed by a Nakamura caused broken orbital bone during the G1 Tournament a couple months later. Meanwhile, as I mentioned before, Sugiura was REALLY stepping up his game in 2009 as he entered the upper echelon of heavyweight wrestlers. A high profile title match between two guys who really were the face of wrestling in 2009.

6.   CIMA & Susumu Yokosuka v. Young Buck$; DGUSA 7/25/09

.....State of the art wrestling in 2009. Sure it's primarily just a bunch of spots with little story or structure, but it's fun as hell for what it is. CIMA is like the freakin' Godfather at this point of this style and he still does it as good as anyone. Meanwhile, the Buck$ exploded on the scene in 2009 with TONS of outstanding matches. 

7.   Kurt Angle v. Samoa Joe; TNA 11/19/06 (clipped version)

.....Witnessing the sad state that is TNA today, it's hard to even remember that it's the same company that gave us such classics as this. Off the charts heat. Insane intensity. Everything they did got a reaction. To me, this is the second best match these two ever had against each other next to the Steel Cage match from Boston a couple years later. 

8.   Shawn Michaels v. Triple H-WWE Title 12/29/03

.....I love gimmick matches as much as the next guy, but I'm always going to prefer a great gimmick free match over a great gimmick match. There's just so much more to admire about a one-on-one match that manages to reach great heights without any of the smoke-n-mirrors. That's why, in my opinion, this is one of the best WWE matches of the decade. The only thing this match has going against it is the finish and the aftermath as there's a bit of highjinx. For my money this is the best HBK vs. Hunter match. Yeah their Street Fight is fantastic, but this is off the charts good.

9.   Gringo Loco & Hijo del Diablo v. Black Terry & Dr. Cerebro; IWRG 1/30/10

.....Less than a year after finally falling head over heels for Lucha I discovered IWRG. What the hell is this? How is it that the best wrestling in the Hemisphere is taking place in a distant 3rd Lucha indy? Well, it is. Gringo Loco & Hijo del Diablo are working the old Gringo Locos Eddie Guerrero & Art Barr gimmick. They bring great heel work to the match and to this feud. But never mind them, it's all about Black Terry & Dr. Cerebro. Cerebro is one of the best technical wrestlers in the world, and not far from being one of the best brawlers. Black Terry is THE best brawler in the world and maybe the Most Outstanding wrestler in the world. He reminds me a lot of Finlay. Surly old veteran who is determined to teach all of the kids that he can hit harder than them, take more punishment than them, and has a bigger pair than them. This is a wild and bloody brawl that I watched, immediately wondered, "who the hell are these guys and why is this like the best match i've seen in recent memory", and promptly tried to get more familiar with them and their work. If you enjoyed this, go watch ANYTHING involving these guys matching up against each other.

10.  Ronnie Garvin v. Ric Flair-Steel Cage Match for NWA World Title, Starrcade 11/26/87

.....Another all-time favorite of mine. Garvin is such an underrated wrestler. It's a shame that it seems that his legacy has been something along the lines of, 'worst NWA champion'. Of course, people aren't critiquing his work as he was among the better in-ring wrestlers, but rather that he wasn't a 'star'. True, but that was the dynamic. He was the blue collar, hard-working everyman to Flair's Floyd Mayweather, Jr. It's the same role Dusty played, but Ronnie didn't have Dusty's charisma. But in the ring Ronnie was much better than Dusty at this point. Much like Steamboat, Ronnie was a perfect rival for Flair in every way. Everyone remembers the Steamboat matches fondly and they should as they're all-time classics. I'm not going to argue that the Flair-Garvin matches are better, because they're not. However, they're still god damn great. And it's a topical feud on the Crazy Max board as TABE recently made a comp covering the feud which I HIGHLY recommend.
     Anyhow, this may not be their best match, but it's a criminally underrated gem. The sound here is really top notch as you will wince with almost every strike. 

11.  Cactus Jack v. Big Van Vader; WCW 4/17/93

.....The famous bloody and stiff match that made Cactus a main event player. This is the match that was so brutal and bloody that TBS presented a censored version on TV. Luckily, we get an uncensored version here. Mick wants Leon to potato him to help him get over as a top level babyface and he gets exactly what he asks for as there are several closeups of Vader just swatting Mick in the nose with all of his might. 

Bonus:

12.  "Dear all Pro Wrestling Wrestling companies not named New Japan Pro Wrestling…THIS is how you sell a PPV." .....We close with a video. NJPW is still the best company in the world in my opinion if for no other reason than because they're the best at presenting wrestling as a sport. They know how to present it as a sport that is entertaining. Meanwhile, most company's are following WWE's lead as they run away from anything 'sport related' and trying like hell to make it clear that WWE is just some sort of touring circus with a soap opera spin off on TV. At the same time....their PPV business is floundering. Why? Because THIS is how you sell PPVs. Not by making it clear that titles and wins & losses are meaningless. THIS. It's about emotion, yes, but it's about emotion tied to finding out who is the better competitor. THIS. This isn't by NJPW, but I wanted to single them out as one of the only company's that gets it right.